I posted this two days ago and by the miracle of the information
super-highway it promptly disappeared. Take 2:
The latest from the Promega Home page (http://www.promega.com) is
that the trial to contest the taq polymerase patent will start late
January/early February. Both parties have agreed to separate the
patent issue from a second issue, that of the right of scientists to
use patented methods for research purposes. Roche are still
contesting this and it will be the subject of a second trial.
Meanwhile, Roche have just lost a case against Organon-Teknika. They
claimed that Organon's NASBA HIV test breached the PCR patent and
lost in a Dutch court. (This does seem a bit like Roche chancing
their luck to me).
Lastly, Roche have still not filed for a European taq patent. In the
light of the Promega challenge Roche were asked to provide additional
data to the European patent authorities, which to date they have not
done.
Can anyone tell me if this means that European researchers are free
to purify their own taq?
Dr Kevin O'Donnell "Work as if you were in the early days
Diagnostics and Molecular Biology of a better nation"
SASA - Alasdair Gray
Edinburgh